Welcome to the HPG Newsburst – The Inner Sphere Wants YOU!
Last time I went into some detail on the lore and setting of Battletech. This article will examine the many ways people engage and interact with the Inner Sphere. This is not an exhaustive list; Battletech is a venerable franchise and I will only focus on the common and contemporary mediums, with an emphasis on Classic Battletech. This is a long article, so to help you find sections that are relevant to you, I’ve worked under the following headings: Tabletop, Roleplaying, Videogames and Books. At the end of the article I’ve gathered a few online resources that you may find useful.
Tabletop – Classic Battletech and Alpha Strike
The classic media of Battletech are the tabletop miniatures games of Battletech and Battletech: Alpha Strike. You may also hear people refer to Battletech as “Classic Battletech” as a means to distinguish the original game from the other products and games set in the universe. Battletech is the traditional and original game featuring the big stompy ‘mechs, big old readouts and a hexmap. It is a slower paced, tactical game. Typically played with each player bringing a Lance of 4 Battlemechs to the field and proceeding to shoot, punch, kick (and sometimes jump on) the other player’s ‘mechs. You have to manage your heat, angle yourself so you don’t take internal damage, while focusing on outflanking your opponent. The faster your ‘mechs move the harder they are to hit, but shooting becomes more difficult. In many ways it can feel like a naval game, such as Star Wars Armada. As the forces near each other, they commit themselves to an encounter that likely ends with only one side standing; more weapons coming to bear as they enter effective range. First mechwarrior to flinch and run is rewarded by a prompt shot in the back.
It is a game where you celebrate as you blow the head off the enemy Awesome, or facepalm as your Locust falls face-first into the dirt. It is a game of calculated risk (and sometimes not-so-calculated risk). Thanks to the 2D6 as a means of resolution, the difference between a 6 to hit and a 8 to hit is about 30% – which can prompt the more greedy player to slow to a halt and open up on the target. Should they fail, the opponent now has a stationary target and that little maneuver just cost an arm and a leg. Literally. In Battletech, blowing limbs and torso sections off of a ‘mech is a core mechanic. If I have a large laser in my right arm, then some other ‘mech removes it, I don’t have that laser anymore. Furthermore that arm can now be used as a club by any ‘mech with functional hands. Yes, I can be beaten to death with my own arm.
If you want variety beyond the hundreds of ‘mechs and thousands of ‘mech variants, there are rules to add conventional military forces, ranging from the humble infantryman to the 100 ton tank or the nimble helicopter. Heck, you can scratch-build your own ‘mechs and vehicles – a whole chapter of the rulebook is dedicated to this. As a ruleset the core game has not changed, bar some clarification and minor errata. I got a 30 year old box of Battletech and the rules were identical to the modern game, although the rulebook layout was somewhat questionable. ‘Mech stats don’t change, core mechanics don’t change. Power-creep is impossible due to the era system in the setting. If you play a game set in 3025, you cannot just buy the new overpowered hotness and shove it in your list. All the components are well balanced and your player personality and your narrative will drive your force selection. Are some ‘mechs better than others? Yes! Are some ‘mechs just bad? Probably – but usually they have a specific role and purpose. Sometimes a player cannot see past the flaws, sometimes they cannot help but falling for the daft ‘mech. In any case even the worst ‘mechs have people who swear by them and make them do work, with or without modifications. To me that is what makes Battletech so special – you can make it exactly what you want it to be.
Here are some good print and play PDFs with simplified rules. This one is the newest one and I would recommend starting here. It is a 1 vs 1 scenario for you to play with a friend. Damage is simplified and there is no heat scale, but you can get a good idea of the full game. This older version is similarly simplified, but has more ‘mechs for you to try out. It also adds vehicles and infantry in later scenarios. It is very good for getting a feel for different units and weapons.
Alpha Strike is a fast paced and larger-scale version of Battletech. It is more inline with other wargames on the market today. Games are typically played between 10-20 ‘mechs a side on a traditional tabletop battlefield and many rules have been simplified to ensure that such a game does not take 2 days to play. You use the same miniatures for Alpha Strike as Classic Battletech, so you can play both for the added cost of a tape-measure and a copy of the rules. You can find the stat cards for Alpha Strike on the Master Unit List. I have not yet played a game of Alpha Strike, but will make a article on the game when I do. I have heard that it is a great way to play for 20 – 40 min to kill some time while you and a couple mates wait for that last player who is stuck in traffic.
Tabletop Roleplaying – A Time of War, Destiny and Campaign Operations
Unsurprisingly, when your setting is as vast and deep as the Inner Sphere, people want to explore it and experience more depth and permanence. After all, ‘mechs are expensive, travel is complex and politics are abound and without some long-form structure you hardly experience that. There are two ways to achieve this, which can be used separately or together:
First, you have a campaign that relies upon the Campaign Operations book. This could follow a mercenary company trying to stay afloat, or the hard fought battles for control of a particular planet or system. If you rely solely on this book, roleplay can be minimal. It is more for structuring a unit’s supply, maintenance and finances, as well as suggesting some layouts for military units and campaign structure (as well as featuring the most robust planet and system generation rules I have ever seen). This is primarily for the Battletech or Alpha Strike player who wants a reason to keep their ‘mechs intact and retreat them, or for a small group of players to play cooperatively. There is a rudimentary experience system, but really it is more of a toolkit.
For those looking for a traditional RPG experience there is the A Time of War RPG, which is an older system that can still be found in PDF if you cannot find the hardcover. However, Catalyst is currently developing Mechwarrior: Destiny, a RPG built upon the Shadowrun system. Like A Time of War, it will have rules for both more narrative combat as well as slamming some minis down on a hexmap and having a game. These both feature traditional character sheets and different skill-sets, as you would expect from any RPG. They are quite literally the narrative Mechwarrior experience and when combined with some extra crunch from Campaign Operations the storytelling potential and the financial consequences of player choices and performance creates a brilliant dynamic that feels like you are running a small company, teetering on the edge of financial or political ruin.
Videogames – HBS Battletech and Mechwarrior 5
Videogames may well be how you know Battletech; they got my wife into the universe! Harebrained Schemes’ “Battletech” from 2018 is a faithful adaptation of the classic tabletop game. You manage a mercenary company that works primarily for one of the minor periphery states of the Inner Sphere, trying to make ends meet. You salvage ‘mechs and balance the budget. You can customize your ‘mechs to either suit your needs or because you lost the last AC20 on a mission, so the AC5 will have to do for now. If you enjoyed X-COM or similar games, you need to try HBS Battletech – it improves upon everything that made X-COM good and works as a great introduction to the tabletop games. You will learn the ‘mechs, weapons and factions easily over a short period of time. As an added benefit, HBS Battletech is set in 3025, the entry-level Battletech era. The modding community is strong for this game as well, so even when you finally run out of things to do, pick a mod and you can get back to it.
If games like Armored Core are more your speed, the new ‘mech-piloting game Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries may be to your liking. Again, you run a mercenary company and customize your mechs with salvage, but instead of a tactical turn-based combat simulation, you are strapped into the seat of a mech and tearing up the terrain from the cockpit. You can also party up with friends and play a cooperative campaign as members of the same mercenary company. Set in 3015 towards the end of the Third Succession War, the tech-base is identical to that in 3025, so it also makes for a good entry into the tabletop.
I want to mention Mechwarrior: Online, an older game very much in-step with games like WarThunder and World of Tanks/Warships. It is a free to play, multiplayer-only matchmaking game where you throw down with players from the seat of a ‘mech in deathmatches and objective based games. However, MWO does have ‘mechs and equipment from many eras and tech-bases, as well as the highly advanced Clans. I would say if the gameplay sounds to your liking to give it a go, but as an introduction to Battletech it is steep.
Books – The Warrior Trilogy
Now we come to books. The series I would recommend to the Gamer Nation is the Warrior Trilogy (En Garde, Riposte and Coupe); written by Michael Stackpole who many will know from his X-Wing/Rogue Squadron novels. Set in 3026, the trilogy sets up the political and military situation of the era pretty nicely. If you want more, he also authored the Blood of Kerensky Trilogy, which frames the Clan Invasion era. Any readers of his will find these books a comfortable read and a familiar style, which is nice when exploring a whole new setting.
The Internet
There are plenty of useful resources out there on the internet as well:
- The SARNA Wiki is one of the best wikis on the net as far as I am concerned, and even gives Wookieepedia a run for its money.
- The Master Unit List helps with calculating the battle value of units based upon their piloting and gunnery skills, very handy for list building.
- Camospecs Online is an encyclopedia of paint schemes for various military units, and is great for painting inspiration or guidance. It is curated; not a wiki. The website is a bit slow though.
- Tex of the Black Pants Legion has a Tex Talks Battletech playlist on YouTube, where he does deep lore dives, in a lecture style. The research is great and the production quality gets up there.
- Social media! There are heaps of Battletech communities out there, but Battletech International is one of the main hubs. Heads up, it’s more Classic Battletech focused, but they will talk about anything Battletech.
- And of course there is me! If you have any questions just ask me and I will give a brief answer and can write an article if the answer warrants one.
Over the next two articles I will go over the various mech weight-classes and equipment of 3025, in preparation for examining mechs and the beginner boxes. Don’t worry, they will be shorter articles!
Thanks for reading this HPG Newsburst. If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment below I would love to hear from you!
Joseph Poultney
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